Tampat do Aman

Outstanding. Howard and his family are very welcoming hosts and extremely knowledgable about the local flora and fauna with their own mini nature reserve across the road from the camp. Sleep to the sounds of the jungles and awake to the golden sun. The beach is a short ride or a slightly longer walk and has good restaurants along it - the food is expensive at Tommy's and not as good as Annie’s, but if you want to use the broadband at Tommy’s you will need to buy a drink! A great spot and highly recommended.

My group of 13 stayed here for 5 nights as part of our ‘project phase’ of our expedition; on arrival, we were astounded by the variety of jungle wildlife yet safely controlled environment. The owner, Howard, came and greeted us, before telling us to change into long sleeved and trousers to ward off the bugs. He introduced us all to his home and himself, before warning us of certain wildlife elements (i.e. snakes, of which we saw none) and giving us a verbal tour of the site. We were staying in the traditional longhouse, which is designed for ventilation and comfort. The rooms differed, from doubles to twins to bunks, but all were comfy. I stayed in a 2-bunk room, which was a bit of a squeeze for 3 girls, but just about spacious enough. The wall-mounted fans kept us cool throughout the day, a blessing after a hard day’s work in the jungle. The shower facilities were great, clean and with a lower back wall so that you could admire the jungle whilst cleansing. The toilets were compostable, which at first we were all dubious about, but in actual fact they were fine, clean and something you got used to over a few days’ use! My group stayed here to help with renovating the wildlife reserve across the road, so we carried out tasks such as cementing bridges, creating steps and clearing paths, so as to make the jungle more navigable for educational purposes. The only thing that was a drawback, which was due to the authentic jungle location not the accommodation, was the sheer amount of bugs; again, something you got used to with time and a healthy amount of anti-histamine, something that actually made the experience all the more natural and better for it - just bring bug spray! The food at night was delicious and healthy, varied but with chicken and veggie options for lunch and dinner, and the choice of jam or fried egg on toast for breakfast. There is also a tuck-shop, for canned drinks, sweets, t-shirts, jewellery and even homemade cakes that changed regularly. About a 30 minute walk, or a few minutes’ drive, from Tampat do Aman there sits a beautiful beach, like something out of a fairytale; a dip in the sea topped off the already unforgettable stay! Overall, the passion of Howard and his family for their mission, the beaty of the location and the comfort of the accommodation was incredible. Everyone here was overwhelmingly friendly, so welcoming it felt immediately as if we were part of the family.

We stayed in Tampat Do Aman at the Tip of Borneo for 3 nights in August 2022. We were on our journey around Sabah and that was definitely one of the highlights. We stayed in a fan-cooled chalet (one of three available there, there are also two family chalets). Tampat Do Aman is in fact a jungle-garden. It is a real maze of little pathways that take you to the common spaces (verandas where you can chill and meet other travellers), breakfast area, traditional rungus huts (not available for accomodation at the moment), Rungus museum (one space with really interesting bite-size info about local traditional culture), long-house and the vegetable garden (probably I have not mentioned everything). It is truly unique! As the place is a bit further from the beach Howard was giving us a lift to the beach and back to the resort – it was very convenient. You can also walk if you want. The coastline is a marvel! Long, sandy beaches, wonderful, warm sea (although a bit rough when we were there, but that made surfers happy). The area was visibly recovering after the pandemic but there were a few cafeterias and family run restaurants open (great food!), so having a meal at the beach was not a problem. Many resorts or diving/surf centres seem to be half-open, the staff taking the opportunity to do some maintenance work – getting ready for more tourists to come back (check for availability if you plan some diving/surfing before arriving). We definitely recommend giving it a try once you are in Sabah. If it is not for amazing nature, quiet, laid-back atmosphere and local indigenous Rungus people (really sweet and friendly) you should come to meet Howard! He is a fantastic character that knows Sabah inside-out and will share everything you need to know to make your Sabah holiday into a great adventure. He also has an impressive experience and fascinating stories to tell about his eco-resort (with sustainability and self-sufficiency as core values), social projects he and his team is involved in, and also current affairs of the area (how local people fight to preserve nature). Apart from enjoying the beach our favourite activity was simply having long, relaxed breakfasts and talking to Howard. Keep in mind it is not a 5-star resort, there are mosquitos, crazy tokay geckos (the sounds they make are surreal), mangos falling from trees and sometimes ants might invade your bathroom, but you get to stay in a jungle-garden in return and connect with, as well as understand much more about the place you are visiting than you usually do. And that is simply priceless. We have left the place refreshed and inspired.